Concrete molding machine

ABSTRACT

A machine for molding concrete slabs comprises several panels which are supported vertically on rollers for moving on a horizontal track. The spaced apart panels define mold cavities between them. Concrete may be admitted to the open top of each cavity. The cavity sides and bottom are enclosed by frame members which are equal in width to the thickness of the slab that is molded. The side frame members swing out for demolding. The panels and slabs are clamped between a stationary end panel and a movable end panel during molding. The movable panels are equipped with sliding bolts which can be extended to be intercepted by special lug links on a moving chain to permit selective movement of the panels. Hydraulic means are provided for producing a clamping force on the panels. The panels can also be equipped with a hot liquid piping system for decreasing the set time of the concrete.

United States Patent [191 Fisher et al.

[111 3,844,524 [451 Oct. 29, 1974 1 1 CONCRETE MOLDING MACHINE Castle,Pa.

[73] Assignee: Pennsylvania Engineering Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa.

[22] Filed: Oct. 30, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 301,964

[52] US. Cl 249/120, 249/129, 249/161, 249/170, 425/182, 425/441,425/450 [51] Int. Cl B28b 7/24 [58] Field of Search... 249/119, 120,129, 160-162,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,075,240 l/1963 Cusavina etal. 425/450 X 3,220,692 ll/l965 Eklund 249/161 3,360,231 12/1967 VanHezik 1 249/129 3,488,817 1/1970 Katz 249/160 X 3,519,243 7/1970 Kleiberet al. 249/119 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,213,141 11/1970 GreatBritain 249/119 Primary ExaminerCharles W. Lanham AssistantExaminer-Carl E. Hall Attorney, Agent, or FirmFred Wiviott; Ralph G.Hohenfeldt 5 7 ABSTRACT A machine for molding concrete slabs comprisesseveral panels which are supported vertically on rollers for moving on ahorizontal track. The spaced apart panels define mold cavities betweenthem. Concrete may be admitted to the open top of each cavity. The

cavity sides and bottom are enclosed by frame members which are equal inwidth to the thickness of the slab that is molded. The side framemembers swing out for demolding. The panels and slabs are clampedbetween a stationary end panel and a movable end panel during molding.The movable panels are equipped with sliding bolts which can be extendedto be intercepted by special lug links on a moving chain to permitselective movement of the panels. Hydraulic means are provided forproducing a clamping force on the panels. The panels can also beequipped with a hot liquid piping system for decreasing the set time ofthe concrete.

. 21' Claims, 16 Drawing Figures ,7 "l "1 L M111 misusin U 1 :ii iii: 1A l 41 ll Fiji D it U 3? PAIENIEMma m4 3844324 sum IBM 11 PMENIEBnmewu3.844524 SHEET "us or U PAIENIEunms-mu SHEET 100F 11 CONCRETE MOLDINGMACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a machinefor molding several concrete slabs at one time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The new molding machine comprises groups ofjuxtaposed mold panels which are supported vertically on upper and lowersets of rollers that permit the panels to be translated longitudinallyand selectively on horizontal tracks. The panels have opposed faceplates. The spaces between the panels define mold cavities which areopen. at the top to receive concrete. The thickness,

bolted to vertically disposed beams which are on pivotable adjustmentdevices which are supported on the mold defining panels. These beams maybe pivoted out of the way along with the side frame members tofacilitate demolding and they may be adjusted inwardly and outwardlybetween the panels to set the slab widths.

The group of molds is compressed by means of a movable end panel towhich clamping forces are applied at its upper and lower regions. Themovable pan els react against a stationary end panel which is pivoted atits bottom and secured against pivoting by adjustable members thatenable plumbing the end panel to thereby assure that the faces of theslabs will be parallel and square with the ends. The clamping devicesfor the movable end panel may be released so that the end panel and oneor more of the intermediate panels may be selectively transported on thehorizontal tracks to a demolding area.

A chain driven by a hydraulic motor runs along the sides of the moldpanels. Each panel is equipped with an advanceable and retractable pinor sliding bolt which may be extended into the path of a lug carried bythe chain so as to enable transport of the mold defining panelsand-themolded concrete slabs to the demolding station.

An object of this invention is to provide a molding machine having novelmeans for clamping the mold defining panels at the top and bottom toresist the expansive forces incidental to molding and to assure thatdimensional tolerances of the molded slabs are maintained.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel means forselectively moving the mold panels individually or collectively by useof power driven means to thereby facilitate demolding and preparation ofthe mold group for another molding cycle.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a molding machinefor concrete slabs wherein the mold cavities'are defined by framemembers at the sides and bottom which members define the thickness ofthe molded slab and are easily exchangeable so. that the machine may beadapted for making panels of different thicknesses and widths withoutundergoing excessive production downtime.

Yet another object of this invention is ,to provide a slab moldingmachine wherein the side frame members defining the mold cavities aresupported on pivotable devices which have adjustment means forconveniently establishing the width of the mold cavities by advancing orwithdrawing the members with respect to the mold cavities.

Still another object of the invention is to provide panel members forslab molding machines which are equipped with internal piping forfacilitating circulation of hot liquids through the panel to therebyreduce the set time of the concrete.

How the foregoing and other more specific objects of the an internallythreaded element pivotally supported on an inner element, and anadjusting screw extending through said internally threaded element,invention are achieved will appear in the more detailed description of apreferred embodiment of the invention which will be set forth shortlyhereinafter in reference to the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 1 FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, with someparts re moved, of a concrete slab molding machine comprised of twogroups of molds;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of the groups of molds shown in FIG. 1 withsome parts shown fragmentarily and other parts removed;

FIG. 3 is an offset end elevation view of the machine shown in FIG. 1with certain parts removed and others being shown fragmentarily;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the molding machine, with partsremoved, in conjunction with the apparatus for handling the concreteslurry from which the slabs are molded;

FIG. 5 is an elevation view of a typical roller carriage support for thebottom frame members of. the mold cavities; g I

FIG. 6 is a side view of the parts shown in the preceding figure;

FIG. 7 shows the manner in which the movable mold panels are supportedon rollers running on a horizontal track;

FIG. 8 shows the details of a sprocket and chain assembly used fortranslating the molds on a horizontal track;

FIG. 9 shows the hydraulic motor drive for the mol translating chain inconjunction with a slide-bolt assembly which couples the chain and themolds, certain parts being shown in sections and others beingshownfragmentarily;

FIG. 10 shows, partially in section, the details of the idler sprocketand chain tension adjusting means together with a fragment of a rollermounted intermediate panel; I

FIGS. 11 and 12 are respectively side and end views of the slide-boltmechanisms used for engaging the mold panels with a transport chain;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a mechanism for adjusting the width of themolded panels and for enabling the side frame members to be swung outfor demolding;

FIG. 14 is an end view of the adjustment mechanism shown in thepreceding figure with the mold panel part omitted; and

FIG. 15 is a section taken through a plane corresponding with 15-15 inFIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing a group of intermediate panelsequipped with an internal piping system.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The general features of theconcrete slab molding machine will be described in reference to FIGS.1-3 to which attention is now invited. FIGS. 1 and 3, particularly, showthat the molding machine is supported on a concrete floor in which thereis a pit 11 that accommodates some of the components thereof. There area series of longitudinally spaced apart I-beam columns such as 12, 13and 14 supported on the floor footings on opposite sides of the machine.These columns support a pair of horizontal and longitudinally extendingI-beams 15 and 15 which have rails 16 and 17 welded to their topflanges.

Supported on rails 16 and 17 are a group of intermediate mold panels18-22. There is also a complementary group of panels 23 to the right ofthe group 18-22 in FIG. 1 but since the two groups are similarlyconstructed and merely increase the capacity of the molding machine,only one of them will be described in detail. The two groups of moldedpanels are symmetrical about an open central demolding area 24.

Intermediate panel 22 is typical of the panels 18-22 which are all thesame. Panel 22 comprises two parallel face plates 30 and 31. Extendinglaterally across the space between face plates 30 and 31 are severalvertically spaced apart laterally extending box beams 32, only one ofwhich is shown in hidden lines in FIG. 1. These box beams are weldednear their ends and at other places to the face plates so as to impartstiffness to the box-like intermediate planels and maintain the faceplates 30 and 31 in parallelism. The sides of the panels 18-22 as viewedin FIG. 1 are enclosed by vertically extending box beams such as 33 andwhich appears as a flat surface in elevation in FIG. 1. A cross sectionofa rear side vertically extending box beam 33' appears between the faceplates 40 and 41 of a fragment of intermediate panel 21 which is shownin FIG. 13. It will be understood that the vertical end enclosing boxbeams 33 and 33' are similar in all of the intermediate panels 18-22.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, there are laterally oppositely directedI-beams 34 and 35 extending from the intermediate panels. The rear sideextension 35 has a roller 37 which runs on a rail 16 that is supportedon the longitudinally extending horizontal beam 17. Similarly, the frontside extension 34 has a roller 36 which runs on a rail 17 that issupported on horizontal beam 15. All of the intermediate mold panels18-22 are similarly equipped at their upper ends with pairs of rollers.Thus, the intermediate panels 18-22 may be selectively translatedbidirectionally on rails 16 and 17 toward and away from the centraldemolding region 24.

The panel 21 next adjacent panel 22 is similarly constructed to thelatter and has a pair of parallel face plates marked 40 and 41, whichare like face plates 30 and 31. Face plate 40 of panel 21 is spaced fromface plate 30 of panel 22 to thereby create a mold cavity 42 between theface plates. The arrangement may be seen particularly well in FIG. 13.The bottom of cavity 42 is closed by a laterally extending frame member43 which is bolted onto a laterally extending I-beam 44 as can be seenin FIGS. 1 and 6. The frame members can be constructed of wood, wood andsteel, or steel alone as desired. In the drawings the frame members areshown as wood frame members. The width of frame member 43 governs thethickness of the concrete panel which is molded in the cavity 42. As canbe seen in FIG. 1, all of the mold cavities have frame members such as43 extending across their bottom and all are similarly supported onlaterally extending I-beams such as 44 which are, in turn, supported oncarriages as will be explained in reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

The manner in which the weight of the molded concrete slab in a moldcavity is supported and the manner in which the slabs are transportedwith the mold forming panels is evident in FIGS. 5 and 6. In thesefigures one may see that the laterally extending I-beams 44 rest in acarriage assembly 45 which has pairs of rollers 46 and 47 on oppositesides. The l-beam 44 fits between two parallel plates 48 and 49 whichspan between another pair of perpendicular parallel plates to which theyare welded. The top flange of I-beam 44 supports a bottom frame member43 for a typical mold cavity 42. As explained, a frame member such as 43is interposed between the face plate 30 of one mold panel and theopposite face plate 40 of another panel to define the closed-bottom moldcavity 42. The carriages 45 roll on the upper flanges of a pair ofchannels 61 and 62 which extend longitudinally of the machine in the pit11 and serve as tracks. There are several carriages 45 supporting eachlateral l-beam 44 as can be seen in FIG. 3.

There is a post 53 welded to the base flange of l-beam 44. This elementis vertically adjustable with respect to the carriage element 45. Post53 is guided between plates 48 and 49. The walls of post 53 are providedwith aligned holes such as 54 and 55 which can be positioned verticallyto register with holes 56 and 57 in plates 48 and 49. The post may besupported in carriage 45 by means of a pin, not shown, which passesthrough the sets of holes 54-57 when they are aligned. In this manner,post 53 by use of the sets of holes such as 54 and 55 may be raised andlowered to correspondingly raise and lower the bottom wood frame member43 in the bottom of mold cavity 42. This facilitates molding concreteslabs with different height dimensions from time to time.

The front and rear sides of mold cavities such as 42 are also enclosedby vertical frame members 58 and 59 as can be seen in FIG. 2 and in FIG.13 where member 58 is visible. The vertically disposed face of the sideframe members 58 may be seen in FIG. 1. These side frame members arefastened by any suitable means, not shown, lengthwise of verticallyextending l-beams such as l-beam 60. The l-beams 60 are supported fromupper and lower hinge assemblies such as 63 and 64 which are fastened tothe rigid intermediate mold panel such as 21. The hinge assembliespermit the side members to be swung out during the demolding operation.These hinge assemblies are more aptly described as side frame adjustmentmechanisms and a typical one is shown in detail in FIGS. 13-15 whichwill now be discussed.

FIG. 13 shows a horizontal section of two vertically extending faceplates 40 and 41 that comprise an intermediate mold panel such as 21,which is next adjacent an intermediate panel 22. Vertically extendingbox beams 33 are welded between face plates 40 and 41 on a typicalintermediate panel 21 to stiffen the panel and provide a base on which aside frame adjustment mechanism bracket 66 may be welded or otherwisefastened. This bracket 66 is part of a hinge mechanism which allows thevertically extending side frames 58 to be swung out from the mold cavityspace 42 for facilitating demolding of a concrete slab formed therein.In FIG. 13, a typical mold cavity 42 is formed between the face plate ofone intermediate panel and the opposite face plate 30 of the nextadjacent intermediate mold panel. The mechanism in FIG. 13 alsofacilitates adjusting side frame member 58 inwardly or outwardly of moldcavity 42 in accordance with the width of the concrete slab that isdesired. The side frame members 58 may be fastened to their supportingvertically extending I-beams 60 by any suitable means such as withscrews 67.

Each vertical I-beam 60 that supports a side frame member 58 has weldedto its outside flange at least a pair of vertically spaced collars 70.Collar has a socket or bore 71 for receiving the unthreaded end 72 of anadjustment screw 73. The adjustment screw 73 passes through aninternally threaded block element 74 which is supported on a clevis 75in which there are a pair of vertically extending pins 76 and 775 As canbe seen in FIG. 15, block 74 has pin holes 78 which receive the pins andpermit the block to pivot in a horizontal plane. The adjusting screw 73has a lock nut 79 which can be tightened against block 74 to preventscrew 73 from turning inadvertently after it has been adjusted for aparticular width of concrete slab. As can be seen clearly in FIG. 15,the clevis 75 on which block 75 is pivoted, is fastened to an innerelement 80 which is adapted to telescope longitudinally within an outerelement 81. The inner element 80 has an end plate 82 welded exclusivelyinto it. End plate 82 has a threaded hole 83 whichis occupied by asocket headed adjusting screw 84. The outer element 81 has a plate85'welded into it and it also has an end plate 86 with a central hole 87through which an Allen wrench may be inserted to engage the head ofscrew 84 and turn it. By this means, the center line of the largeadjusting scrcw73 may be aligned accurately with the center of the bores71 in the collars 70 which are attached to the vertical I-beams thatsupport the side frames 58, regardless of the width of the side framemembers that are used.

As can be seen in FIG. 14, the outer element 81 is welded to a pivotableyoke 88 which pivots on a pin 89 that extends vertically through bracket66. Also provided is a locking pin 90 which is attached to bracket 66 bymeans of a chain 91 which has one of its ends welded to the pin and theother to the bracket. The locking pin 90 constrains yoke 88 frompivoting.

When pin 90 is removed, the yoke 88 and inner and outer elements 80 and81 can pivot on pin 89 and the main adjusting screw 73 can pivot aboutthe axes of pin 76, 77 so as to permit withdrawal of frame member '58from the end of the mold cavity 42. This makes demolding the concreteslabs and cleaning of the mold cavities and end frame members easy. Whenanother group of concrete slabs is to be molded the frame members 58, 59are repositioned between adjacent face plates such as 30 and 40. All ofthe locking pins 90 are then inserted and the mold panels are compressedso as to define mold cavities of uniform thickness between them. Screws73 only need to be adjusted when it is de sired to set a new slab width.

By referring to FIG. 1, one may see that the group of intermediatemoldpanels 18-22 are compressed between a stationary end panel-95 and amovable end panel 96 during a molding operation. The movable end panel96 is equipped with rollers 38 so it can move on the horizontal tracks16 and 17 which support the in-- termediate panels 18-22, Stationary endpanel 95 absorbs the compressive force which is generated by applyinghorizontally directed forces to movable end panel 96.

Stationary end panel 95 is pivoted for limited movement on several pins97 which are supported in the base of the machine. Several upstandinglegs 98, 99 and others, see FIG. 3, extend upwardly from the base. Themembers 98, 99 are stiff and resist the compressive forces which areexerted normal to the planes of the mold panels 18-22 during molding.Extending horizontally from the upper ends of leg members 98, 99 areadjusting screws such as 100 which engage by means of a clevis 101 to abracket 102 on the outside'of stationary end panel 95. The screws. 100'may be advanced and retracted to adjust the plumb of stationary endpanel 95.

The group of intermediate mold panels 18-22 are 7 some tie-rods 105extending lengthwise of the molding machine in the pit 11. There isactually a pair of such rods 105 which are connected by means of anequalizer 106 to a force producing device such' as the ram of ahydraulic cylinder 107. There may be several hydraulic serted on'andremoved from the tie-rods manually.-

When the blocks 108 are in place, they react against stationary nuts 109on the tie-rods which nuts prevent the blocks from yielding axially. Theblocks 108 are interposed tightly between the stop nuts 109 and a plate110. When the blocks 109 are removed, the plate 110 and hence movableendpanel 96 may shift to the right as viewed in FIG. 1 so as to allowthe battery of molds to be .decompressed and translated, if desired, tothe demolding region 24 in the machine. To ready the machine formolding, the roller carried mold panels 18-22 and 96 are'shifted asfar-as they will go to the left in the leftportion of FIG. 1 and thetie-rods are extended to the right under the influence of hydraulic ram107. This provides a free space for depositing the compression blocks109. After the latter are in place, the hydraulic ram 107 may bepressurized so as to cause a retracting force on the tie-rods whichcompresses the movable end panel 96 at its bottom.

Means are also provided for exerting a compressive force at the top ofmovable end panel 96. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper end ofthe end panel 96 has a pair of brackets 110 in which there are slots111. These slots are engageable by pins 112 which extend laterally fromthe tie-rods 114' which in turn connect to a hinge clevis 115. Theclevis 115 is coupled with a force producing device which in this caseis the ram of a double acting hydraulic'cylinder 116. When the cylinder116 is extended to, the right in the left panel of the machine as viewedin FIG. 1, the laterally extending pins 112 slide out of slots 111 so asto free the movable end panel 96 for movement to the right. The tie-rods114 are swung upwardly on hinge clevis 115 so that there is nointerference with the movement of the end panel 96. When the upper pins112 are engaged with the slot 111 in the upper bracket 110 and the lowerblocks 109 are in place, the upper 116 and lower 107 hydraulic rams arepressurized and a compressive force is exerted on end panel 96. Thiscompresses the intermediate panels and the side and bottom frames whichdefine the mold cavities at which time the machine is prepared formolding a group of concrete slabs.

Before discussing in detail the means for opening or separating thepanel groups, the embodiment of the invention which provides an internalpiping system within the panels will be described. In most concrete slabprocessing plants time is of extreme importance and the industry hasbeen searching for ways of decreasing the time the mold must be keptaround each slab. It is possible to modify the panels of this invention(intermediate panels, fixed end panel, and movable end panel) so thatthey include internal piping systems. Hot liquid is circulated throughthe piping system to uniformly heat the inner surface of the panel andthe concrete in the mold cavities thereby shortening the set time.Conventional set times for concrete molding operations are on the orderof l2-l4 hours, while if the hot liquid piping system is employed theset time may be reduced to less than 4 hours. Daily production then fromeach machine can be tripled by using this modification of the invention.Water can be used as the circulating liquid although it is moreadvantageous to use higher boiling organic materials such as oils.

For purposes of illustration only, FIG. 16 shows an intermediate panel200. A pipe 207 traverses the panel and is provided with inlet means 208and outlet means 209 for connecting to the hot liquid supply andcollection means not shown. Since the entire invention is designed forease of modification for molded slabs of different sizes, the pipe ofeach panel system is connectable to adjacent panels by connecting inlet208 to outlet 209 of an adjacent intermediate or end panel. Theconnection may be a threaded connection, a clamp connection or any othertype of leakproof connection known to the art. Of course, other designsof the piping system can be employed, the only requirement being thatthe entire internal surface of the panel be heated as uniformly aspossible. Obviously, the outlet from one intermediate panel group couldbe attached to the inlet of an end panel, etc. Also both inlet andoutlet could be on the same end of the panel.

To close a panel group in preparation for molding concrete slabs, onlyrolling friction of the intermediate panels 18-22 and the movable endpanel 96 needs to be overcome. To open the group, the adhesion betweenthe steel face plates of the mold panels and the concrete slabs has tobe overcome. In accordance with the invention, means are provided tomove one mold panel at a time in either direction: Means for opening orseparating the panels in a group and for translating a panel at a timewill now be described.

For the purpose just stated, there is a translating means such as closedloop chain 121 running lengthwise of front side longitudinally extendinghorizontal beam 15, as can be seen in FIG. 1, where the chain appears inhidden lines. Sag of the chain is prevented by letting it slide on a bar117 which appears in hidden lines in FIG. 1. There is a similar chain122 running parallel to rear side horizontal beam 14. The intermediatemold panels 18-22 and the movable end panel 96 are transported onhorizontal rails 16 and 17 by means of chain belt 121 and by a similarchain belt 122, which appears in FIG. 9, for example. In FIG. 1, one maysee that there is a drive shaft 123 extending laterally across the rightend of the machine which means normal to the plane of the drawing sheetin this view. The drive shaft 123 is supported at one end in a bearingcapsule 124, which is mounted on beam 15 and in another similar bearingcapsule 125, which is mounted on the rear beam 14 as can be seen in FIG.9. A drive sprocket 126. is keyed on drive shaft 123 adjacent beam 14and a bearing assembly 125. There is a similar drive sprocket on shaft123 immediately inside of front I-beam 15, as viewed in FIG. 1. In FIG.9 one may see that drive shaft 123 is joined by means of a coupling 127to the shaft 128 of a reversible hydraulic motor 129. The closed loopchains 121 and 122 extend lengthwise of beams 15 and 14, respectively,to idler sprocket mounting assemblies such as 130 in FIG. 1.

The details of an idler sprocket assembly 131, which is the rear one,may be seen in FIGS. 8 and 10. In FIG. 10, one may see that a typicalidler sprocket 131 is keyed to a shaft 132, which has its opposite endsmounted in slidable bearing capsules 133 and 134. The longitudinallyextending I-beam 14 is slotted lengthwise as at 135 to allow forlongitudinal adjustment of bearing capsules 133 with bolts 142 tothereby control the tension in chains 121 and 122. In FIG. 8, one maysee how the bearing capsule 133 is slidable in a slot 135 so that when acapsule moves to the right in this figure, increased tension on thechain 122 will result. The bearing capsule 133 can be adjusted by member140, which is engaged by the head 141 of a chain tension adjusting bolt142. There is a tension adjusting nut 144 on one side of an end plate143 through which the bolt 142 passes, and there is a jam nut 145 on theother side of the end plate. A short sleeve 146 on bolt 142 serves as astop to limit the amount of tension that can be placed on chain 122 byadjusting nut 144. Similar tension adjusting means are provided forbearing capsule 134. The typical rear chain 122 is shown in FIG. 8, andis similar to front chain 121, has a special link 147 which extends fromthe plane of the chain and serves as a lug for engaging a pin orslide-bolt such as the one marked 148 in FIG. 8. These bolts may beextended and retracted laterally with respect to the mold panels 18-22and the movable end panel 96 on which they are also carried so that thepanels may be selectivelyengaged by the chains and translated in eitherdirection on the horizontal rails 16 and 17. In FIG. 8, a typical wheel37 for supporting an intermediate mold panel or the movable end panel isshown bearing on track 16, which is, in turn, supported on the I-beam14.

How the slide-bolts 148 may be advanced into the path of translating lugor specialized chain link-147 may be seen in FIGS. 9 and 10 which showthe chain 122 running along rear l-beam 14. Each of the intermediatemold panels 18-22 and the movable end panel 96 has a pair of laterallyslidable bolts 148, their sides next to the chains. A typical mountingfor a sliding bolt 148 may be described conveniently in reference toFIGS. 9, 11 and 12. The slide-bolt 148, as can be seen in FIG. 12, isslidable within a sleeve 149, which is welded on the web 150 of theshort I-beam 35 which extends laterally from a mold panel. The bolt 148is capable of being turned and slid by manual force exerted on a handle151 which projects radially from the bolt 148 and is welded thereto.Sleeve 149 and semi-circular slots 152 and 153 which are joined by anaxial slot 154. It will be evident from inspection of FIGS. 9 and 12that handle 151 can be rotated manually from its vertical position, asshown, to a horizontal position wherein it extends normal to the planeof the drawing, after which the handle may be slid along the axial slot154 and returned to its downward position wherein it is again locked byslot 153. Sliding the pin back axially, retracts it from the path of lug147 and disengages the particular mold panel or movable end panel towhich the pin is mounted from the chain. Converse action restores thebolts to the chain lug path as depicted in FIGS. 9-12. Thus, pairs ofslide-bolts on a panel may be actuated to selectively engage a panelwith the translatable chain lug so one panel can be moved at a time.

FIG. 4 shows the apparatus for charging the molding machine withconcrete slurry to make several concrete slabs at one time. Most of thestructural details of the molding machine are omitted in FIG. 4 for thesake of clarity. Thisfigure shows, however, how the stationary end panel95 and the movable end panel 96 are compressed toward each other todefine with the intermediate panels 18-22 a plurality of mold cavities42. The mold cavities 42 are open on the top and it will be recalledthat the sides thereof and bottom are closed by frame members. Thebridge 161 of a gantry crane extends over the machine. This gantry has aleg 162 and a truck assembly 163 which has wheels 164 that run on rails165 which are set in the concrete floor. Another end of gantry cranebridge 161 has an end truck assembly 166 provided with wheels 1657 thatrun on a rail 168 which is supported on a beam 169. The beam 169 is, inturn, supported on brackets 170, which are welded to vertical columns171, that rests on the floor or suitable concrete footings.

The gantry crane actually has two bridge beams 161 spaced apart fromeach other in parallel, although this is not visible in FIG. 4. At anyrate, there is a wheeled carriage 172 running on the bridge 161. Thiscarriage supports a distribution hopper 173 which has a top opening forreceiving concrete slurry. The hopper is provided with a pair ofdischarge gates 174 and 175 which swing on horizontal shafts 176. Thegates are in terconnected by a mechanism, not shown, which' causes themto swing equiangularly toward an open position under the influence of ahydraulic operator 177. A motor and a set of gears, neither of which areshown, are used to translate the carriage 172 back and forth on thebeams 161. The means for driving the gantry crane along the tracks 165and 167 have also been omitted.

The open-topped hopper 173 may be positioned on the gantry crane bridgeas shown in phantom in FIG. 4 so as to enable the hopper 173 to becharged with concrete slurry from a traveling bucket 180. The bucket 180has an opening in its top for receiving concrete from a chute 181, whichleads to a source, not shown, of mixed concrete slurry. Bucket 180 ismounted on a carriage 182 for translation on l-beam rails 183 and 184.These rails may extend over several molding machines so that they canall be charged with concrete received from the single chutel81. Thebucket 180 is, of course, loaded under the chute 181 and thentransported to alignment with the charging hopper, which is carried on agantry crane associated with a particular molding machine. With thisarrangement, traveling bucket 180 may be used to fill a charging bucket173 associated with one machine and the bucket may be translated to thenext machine while the hopper from the first machine is dispensingconcrete into the mold cavities.

The operating sequence of the concrete slab molding machine may now berecapitulated. The first steps in setting up the machine for moldingconcrete slabs of a selected width, height and thickness is to anchorthe bottom frame members 43 on the roller-carried I- beams 44 to definethe bottom of a mold cavity. Then the side frames 58 and 59 are anchoredon a swingable vertical l-beam 60. The amount by which the side framesenter the mold cavity space 42 between adjacent mold panels determinesthe width of the panel.

The setting of these side frames is accomplished with the adjustingbolts 73, which were discussed in connection with FIG. 14. The height ofthe mold panel cavities is determined by the horizontal elevation of thebottom frames 43, which may be selectively raised or lowered with themechanism shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The thickness of the concrete slabs isdetermined by the width of the side and bottom frames 58, 59 and 43,respectively, which are chosen.

When the procedures mentioned in the preceding paragraph are completed,the intermediate mold panels 18-22 and the frames which are carriedthereby are, in conjunction with movable end panel 96 pushed up againststationary end panel 95. This may be done preliminarily with manualeffort since only rolling friction has to be overcome. Of course, all ofthe sliding bolts 148 would preferably be retracted at this time so thatthe chain carried lug 147 would not interfere with movement of any ofthe mold panels.

It is, of course, also possible to transport one or more of the moldpanels from the demolding region 24 to the molding position by drivingthe chains 121 and 122 so that the lugs 147 intercept bolts 148 asselected. Generally, however, the movable end panel 96 may be pushedtoward the stationary end panel to thereby carry the intermediate moldpanels 18-22 with it. The upper and lower panel group locking mechanismsare then actuated. The upper cross pins 112 carried by the tie-rods 114are then swung into engagement with slot 111 in bracket 110. At thistime the tie-rods 114 are extended toward the center of the moldingmachine. Next the blocks 109 are positioned on the lower set oftiedemolding, the hydraulic cylinders 116 and 107 are actuated toreleasethe upper locking pin 112 and the lower locking block 109 forremoval. The slide-bolts 148 on the first mold panel nearest thedemolding region 24 may then be extended and the chains driven so as totransport the first mold to the demolding region 24. The other molds maythen be transported consecutively by extending their slide-bolts in asimilar manner.

When demolding of both the left and right groups of molds as shown inFIG. 1 is completed, the equipment can be washed down with water afterwhich the molds are restored to their active position for anothermolding cycle.

Although various functions and features of the new concrete moldingmachine have been described in considerable detail in a preferredembodiment, such description is to be considered illustrative ratherthan limiting, for the invention may be variously embodied and is to belimited only by interpretation of the claims which follow.

We claim:

1. a concrete molding machine comprising:

a. a stationary vertically disposed end panel,

b. a movable vertically disposed end panel spaced from the stationarypanel and in substantial parallelism therewith,

c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panels intermediate saidstationary and movable end panels,

d. means supporting each of said intermediate panels and said movableend panel for horizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permitsaid last named panels to be separated from each other and to bejuxtaposed in spaced relationship to define mold cavities between them,

e. power driven translating means extending along the sides of saidpanels,

f. translating means engaging means mounted on individual movablepanels, respectively, said engaging means each being operable toselectively engage with said translating means, whereby to permit saidpanels to be moved away from each other individually,

g. said translating means comprising closed loop chain belts each ofwhich has a lug projecting therefrom,

h. said engaging means on the movable panels comprising pin meansmounted for being slidably advanced and retracted selectively into andout of the path of said lug means.

2. A concrete molding machine comprising:

a. a stationary vertically disposed end panel,

b. a movable vertically disposed end panel spaced from the stationarypanel and in substantial parallelism therewith,

c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panels intermediate saidstationary and movable end panels,

d. means supporting each of said intermediate panels and said movableend panel for horizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permitsaid last named panels to be separated from each other and to bejuxtaposed in spaced relationship to define mold cavities between them,

e. power driven translating means extending along the sides of saidpanels,

f. translating means engaging means mounted on individual movablepanels, respectively, said engaging means each being operable toselectively engage with said translating means, whereby to permit saidpanels to be moved away from each other individually,

g. means for powering said translating means comprising a hydraulicmotor mounted on the machine,

h. a shaft at one end of the machine driven by said motor, said shaftbeing substantially coextensive with the width of said panels,

. at least a pair of sprockets fastened to said driven shaft at oppositesides of said panels,

j. idler sprockets at corresponding opposite sides of said panels at anend of the machine opposite from the driven sprockets,

k. said translating means comprising chain belts running oncorresponding driven and idler sprockets,

1. said chain belts each having at least one engageable means extendingtherefrom,

m. said engaging means comprising pin means mounted for sliding on saidmovable panels into and out of the path of said engageable means foreffecting the said selective engagement of the movable panels with thetranslating chain belt.

3. A concrete molding machine comprising:

a. a stationary vertically disposed end panel,

b. a movable vertically disposed end panel spaced from the stationarypanel and in substantial parallelism therewith,

c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panels intermediate saidstationary and movable end panels,

d. means supporting each of said intermediate panels and said movableend panel for horizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permitsaid last named panels to be separated from each other and to bejuxtaposed in spaced relationship to define mold cavities between them,

e. hinge means mounted at least on the intermediate panels and onrespectively opposite sides thereof, said hinge means being swingableinto alignment with the respective mold cavities between the panels,

f. side frame members disposed vertically between adjacent panels todefine the width and thickness of the mold cavity and to enclose thesides thereof, said side frame members being supported on said hingemeans,

g. said hinge means comprising bracket means attachable to a panel,

h. a longitudinally extending element pivotally mounted on said bracketmeans,

i. an internally threaded element pivotally mounted on saidlongitudinally extending element, the pivot axes of both elements beingsubstantially parallel,

j. an adjusting screw extending through said internally threaded elementin a plane that is transverse to the axes of said elements,

k. means supporting said side frame members on said adjusting screws,whereby adjustment of said screws positions the side frame members aselected distance within the mold cavity between panels.

4. A concrete molding machine comprising:

a. a stationary vertically disposed end panel,

b. a movable vertically disposed end panel spaced from the stationarypanel and in substantial parallelism therewith,

c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panels intermediate saidstationary and movable end panels,

(1. means supporting each of said intermediate panels and said movableend panel for horizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permitsaid last named panels to be separated from each other and to bejuxtaposed in spaced relationship to define mold cavities between them,

e. hinge means mounted at least on the intermediate panels and onrespectively opposite sides thereof, said hinge means being swingableinto alignment with the respective mold cavities between the pan-- els,

f. side frame members disposed vertically between adjacent panels todefine the width and thickness of the mold cavity and to enclose thesides thereof, said side frame members being supported on said hingemeans,

g. the means supporting said side frame members include verticallyextending beams to which said frame members are fastened, respectively,

h. vertically spaced apart sockets mounted rigidly on said beams, saidsockets being engageable by said adjusting screw means.

5. A concrete molding machine comprising:

a. a stationary vertically disposed end panel,

b. a movable vertically disposed end panel spaced from the stationarypanel and in substantial parallelism therewith,

c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panels intermediate saidstationary and movable end panels,

d. means supporting each of said intermediate panels and said movableend panel for horizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permitsaid last named panels to be separated from each other and to bejuxtaposed in spaced relationship to define mold cavities between them,e. hinge means mounted at least on the intermediate panels and onrespectively opposite sides thereof, said hinge means being swingableinto alignment with the respective mold cavities between the panels,said hinge means including bracket means attached to a panel, side framemembers disposed vertically between adjacent panels to define the widthand thickness 1 of the mold cavity and to enclose the sides thereof,

said side frame members being supported on said hinge means,

g. a pivotal longitudinally extending element comprising an outerelement which is pivotal with respect to said bracket means,

h. an inner element movably mounted within said outer element andsupporting said internally threaded element for the adjusting screw, and

i. screw means interconnecting said outer and inner elements and beingthreadingly engaged with said inner element whereby said inner elementmay be extended and contracted to position said adjusting screw in adirection normal to the planes of the panels, and means support saidframe members on said adjusting screws.

6. A concrete molding machine comprising:

a. a stationary vertically disposed end panel,

b. a movable vertically disposed end panel spaced from the stationarypanel and in substantial parallelism therewith,

c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panels,

d. means supporting each of said intermediate panels and said movableend panel for horizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permitsaid last named panels to be separated from each other and to bejuxtaposed in spaced relationship to define mold cavities between them,

e. side frame members disposed vertically between adjacent panels atopposite sides thereof to define the width and thickness of themoldcavity and to enclose the sides thereof,

f. means supporting said side frame members from adjacent panels,

g. a bottom frame member extending from side to side of each mold cavityto provide a bottom therein at a predetermined height,

h. track means extending longitudinally of said machine under saidpanels,

i. carriage means supporting each of said bottom frame members, saidcarriage means being supported for bidirectional movement on said trackmeans,

j. each said carriage means comprising a first element having rollermeans supporting the element on said track means,

k. a second element supporting said bottom frame members and supportedon the first element and means for adjusting the height of the secondelement with respect to the first element, whereby to set the heights ofsaid bottom frame members between said panels to establish the heightsof the mold cavities.

7. A concrete molding machine comprising:

a. a stationary vertically disposed end panel,

b. a movable vertically disposed end panel spaced from the stationarypanel and in substantial parallelism therewith,

c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panels,

d. means supporting each of said intermediate panels and said movableend panel for horizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permitsaid last named panels to be separated from each other and to bejuxtaposed in spaced relationship to define mold cavities between them,

e. side frame members disposed vertically between adjacent panels atopposite sides thereof to define the width and thickness of the moldcavity and to enclose the sides thereof,

f. means supporting said side frame members from adjacent panels,

g. a bottom frame member extending from side to side of each mold cavityto provide a bottom therein at a predetermined height,

h. track means extending longitudinally of said machine under saidpanels,

i. carriage means supporting each of said bottom frame members, saidcarriage means being supported for bidirectional movement on said trackmeans,

j. each said carriage means comprising a first element having a pinreceiving hole,

k. roller means supporting said first element for bidirectionalmovements on said track means,

1. a second element supported for guided vertical movement on said firstelement and having a row of holes selected ones of which may be alignedwith the hole in said first element to receive a pin for maintainingsaid second element and the bottom frame member supported thereon at apredetermined height in the respective mold cavities.

8. A concrete slab molding machine comprising:

a. laterally spaced apart parallel longitudinally extending horizontaltracks,

b. a stationary end panel that is vertically disposed and extendslaterally substantially between said tracks,

c. a movable end panel that is vertically disposed and extends laterallysubstantially between said tracks,

d. a group of movable mold panels intermediate said stationary end paneland said movable end panel and in substantial parallelism therewith,

e. each of said intermediate panels and said movable end panels havingwheel means on opposite sides running on and supporting said panels onthe tracks,

f. said movable panels being movable on said tracks to a predeterminedspaced relationship with each other and with said stationary end panelto define a plurality of open topped mold cavities between them intowhich slurry may be introduced,

g. side frame members extending vertically in the respective cavitiesbetween juxtaposed panels, said side frame members being spaced apartlaterally to define the widths of the cavities,

h. means supporting said side frame members from panels adjacent therespective cavities,

i. bottom frame members extending laterally of the respective moldcavities to provide bottoms thereof,

j. track means extending longitudinally below said panels,

k. carriage means having roller means running on said last named trackmeans, said carriage means supporting said bottom frame members and theconcrete molded thereon,

. upper and lower locking means for pressing said movable end panel toput said intermediate panels and intervening frame members incompression against said stationary end panel,

m. said upper locking means and lower locking means including meansreleaseably engageable with the respective upper and lower regions ofthe movable end panel, whereby said end panel may be released anddisengaged for transport on said first mentioned tracks and therebypermit said mold panels to be similarly transported for demolding themolded articles individually,

n. the said means supporting said side frame members comprisingrelatively adjustable elements pivotally mounted on said panels,

0. a second element pivotally mounted on each of said adjustableelements, said second element having a threaded hole therein,

p. adjusting screws in said threaded holes, respectively, which screwscan be directed at said side frames,

q. means supporting said side frames on said adjusting screws, whereuponsaid adjusting screws may be advanced or retracted to position said sideframe members inwardly or outwardly of said mold cavities to therebypermit selection of the mold cavity width.

9. The molding machine defined in claim 8 including:

a. motor means,

b. shaft means driven by said motor means and having a drive sprocketfixed thereon,

c. a shaft and an idler sprocket thereon, said idler sprocket beinglocated longitudinally remote from said drive sprocket,

d. a closed loop chain belt running on said sprockets and extendinglongitudinally of the machine adjacent said panels,

e. means mounted on said movable panels for selectively engaging anddisengaging a panel with said chain belt, whereby said panels may betransported individually by said chain means along said first namedtracks.

10. A molding machine as defined in claim 8 wherein:

a. there is another similar group comprised of a sec- 0nd stationary endpanel, a second movable end panel and a second group of intermediatepanels with side and bottom frame members intervening between panels todefine a second group of mold cavities, and there are similar means fortransporting the movable panels and for compressing the panels,

b. said second movable panel facing the first movable panel and defininga demolding region therebetween.

11. The machine defined in claim 8 wherein:

a. the said carriage means supporting said bottom frame members comprisea first element supported on said roller means,

b. a second element supported on said first element the height of saidsecond element being adjustable with respect to said first element, thebottom frame members being supported on said second elements to therebypermit their vertical height adjustment to establish a predetermineddepth in the mold cavities.

12. A concrete molding machine comprising:

a. a group of generally planar vertically disposed mold panels adaptedto be juxtaposed to define mold cavities between them,

b. means for supporting said panels for being translated in alongitudinal direction with respect to each other,

c. at least a pair of laterally spaced apart generally verticallyextending side frame members for being interposed between said panels toestablish the width and thicknesses of said mold cavities, respectively,

(1. frame members extending generally laterally between said panels toprovide bottoms for said mold cavities, respectively.

e. means selectively operable for compressing said panels and said framemembers toward each other for said frame members and panels to establishsaid mold cavities and for alternately releasing said panels fromcompression,

f. power driven translating means extending generally longitudinallyadjacent said panels, said translating means comprising closed loop beltmeans having at least projecting means projecting therefrom,

g. means mounted on said panels including means that are selectivelyadvanceable and retractable into and out of the path of said projectingmeans whereby said panels may be selectively moved indi-

1. A CONCRETE MOLDING MACHINE COMPRISING: A. A STATIONARY VERTICALLYDISPOSED END PANEL, B. A MOVABLE VERTICALLY DISPOSED END PANEL SPACEDFROM THE STATIONARY PANEL AND IN SUBSTANTIAL PARALLELISM THEREWITH, C. AGROUP OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED MOVABLE MOLD PANELS INTERMEDIATE SAIDSTATIONARY AND MOVABLE END PANELS, D. MEANS SUPPORTING EACH OF SAIDINTERMEDIATE PANELS AND SAID MOVABLE END PANEL FOR HORIZONTALBIDIRECTIONAL TRANSLATION WHEREBY TO PERMIT SAID LAST NAMED PANELS TO BESEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER AND TO BE JUXTAPOSED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TODEFINE MOLD CAVITIES BETWEEN THEM, E. POWER DRIVEN TRANSLATING MEANSEXTENDING ALONG THE SIDES OF SAID PANELS, F. TRANSLATING MEANS ENGAGINGMEANS MOUNTED ON INDIVIDUAL MOVABLE PANELS, RESPECTIVELY, SAID ENGAGINGMEANS EACH BEING OPERABLE TO SELECTIVELY ENGAGE WITH SAID TRANSLATINGMEANS, WHEREBY TO PERMIT SAID PANELS TO BE MOVED AWAY FROM EACH OTHERINDIVIDUALLY, G. SAID TRANSLATING MEANS COMPRISING CLOSED LOOP CHAINBELTS EACH OF WHICH HAS A LUG PROJECTING THEREFROM, H. SAID ENGAGINGMEANS ON THE MOVABLE PANELS COMPRISING PIN MEANS MOUNTED FOR BEINGSLIDABLY ADVANCED AND RETRACTED SELECTIVELY INTO AND OUT OF THE PATH OFSAID LUG MEANS.
 2. A concrete molding machine comprising: a. astationary vertically disposed end panel, b. a movable verticallydisposed end panel spaced from the stationary panel and in substantialparallelism therewith, c. a group of vertically disposed movable moldpanels intermediate said stationary and movable end panels, d. meanssupporting each of said intermediate panels and said movable end panelfor horizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permit said lastnamed panels to be separated from each other and to be juxtaposed inspaced relationship to define mold cavities between them, e. powerdriven translating means extending along the sides of said panels, f.translating means engaging means mounted on individual movable panels,respectively, said engaging means each being operable to selectivelyengage with said translating means, whereby to permit said panels to bemoved away from each other individually, g. means for powering saidtranslating means comprising a hydraulic motor mounted on the machine,h. a shaft at one end of the machine driven by said motor, said shaftbeing substantially coextensive with the width of said panels, i. atleast a pair of sprockets fastened to said driven shaft at oppositesides of said panels, j. idler sprockets at corresponding opposite sidesof said panels at an end of the machine opposite from the drivensprockets, k. said translating means comprising chain belts running oncorresponding driven and idler sprockets, l. said chain belts eachhaving at least one engageable means extending therefrom, m. saidengaging means comprising pin means mounted for sliding on said movablepanels into and out of the path of said engageable means for effectingthe said selective engagement of the movable panels with the translatingchain belt.
 3. A concrete molding machine comprising: a. a stationaryvertically disposed end panel, b. a movable vertically disposed endpanel spaced from the stationary panel and in substantial parallelismtherewith, c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panelsintermediate said stationary and movable end panels, d. means supportingeach of said intermediate panels and said movable end panel forhorizontal bidirEctional translation whereby to permit said last namedpanels to be separated from each other and to be juxtaposed in spacedrelationship to define mold cavities between them, e. hinge meansmounted at least on the intermediate panels and on respectively oppositesides thereof, said hinge means being swingable into alignment with therespective mold cavities between the panels, f. side frame membersdisposed vertically between adjacent panels to define the width andthickness of the mold cavity and to enclose the sides thereof, said sideframe members being supported on said hinge means, g. said hinge meanscomprising bracket means attachable to a panel, h. a longitudinallyextending element pivotally mounted on said bracket means, i. aninternally threaded element pivotally mounted on said longitudinallyextending element, the pivot axes of both elements being substantiallyparallel, j. an adjusting screw extending through said internallythreaded element in a plane that is transverse to the axes of saidelements, k. means supporting said side frame members on said adjustingscrews, whereby adjustment of said screws positions the side framemembers a selected distance within the mold cavity between panels.
 4. Aconcrete molding machine comprising: a. a stationary vertically disposedend panel, b. a movable vertically disposed end panel spaced from thestationary panel and in substantial parallelism therewith, c. a group ofvertically disposed movable mold panels intermediate said stationary andmovable end panels, d. means supporting each of said intermediate panelsand said movable end panel for horizontal bidirectional translationwhereby to permit said last named panels to be separated from each otherand to be juxtaposed in spaced relationship to define mold cavitiesbetween them, e. hinge means mounted at least on the intermediate panelsand on respectively opposite sides thereof, said hinge means beingswingable into alignment with the respective mold cavities between thepanels, f. side frame members disposed vertically between adjacentpanels to define the width and thickness of the mold cavity and toenclose the sides thereof, said side frame members being supported onsaid hinge means, g. the means supporting said side frame membersinclude vertically extending beams to which said frame members arefastened, respectively, h. vertically spaced apart sockets mountedrigidly on said beams, said sockets being engageable by said adjustingscrew means.
 5. A concrete molding machine comprising: a. a stationaryvertically disposed end panel, b. a movable vertically disposed endpanel spaced from the stationary panel and in substantial parallelismtherewith, c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panelsintermediate said stationary and movable end panels, d. means supportingeach of said intermediate panels and said movable end panel forhorizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permit said last namedpanels to be separated from each other and to be juxtaposed in spacedrelationship to define mold cavities between them, e. hinge meansmounted at least on the intermediate panels and on respectively oppositesides thereof, said hinge means being swingable into alignment with therespective mold cavities between the panels, said hinge means includingbracket means attached to a panel, f. side frame members disposedvertically between adjacent panels to define the width and thickness ofthe mold cavity and to enclose the sides thereof, said side framemembers being supported on said hinge means, g. a pivotal longitudinallyextending element comprising an outer element which is pivotal withrespect to said bracket means, h. an inner element movably mountedwithin said outer element and supporting said internally threadedelement for the adjusting screw, and i. screw means interconnecting saidouter and inner elements and being threadIngly engaged with said innerelement whereby said inner element may be extended and contracted toposition said adjusting screw in a direction normal to the planes of thepanels, and means support said frame members on said adjusting screws.6. A concrete molding machine comprising: a. a stationary verticallydisposed end panel, b. a movable vertically disposed end panel spacedfrom the stationary panel and in substantial parallelism therewith, c. agroup of vertically disposed movable mold panels, d. means supportingeach of said intermediate panels and said movable end panel forhorizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permit said last namedpanels to be separated from each other and to be juxtaposed in spacedrelationship to define mold cavities between them, e. side frame membersdisposed vertically between adjacent panels at opposite sides thereof todefine the width and thickness of the mold cavity and to enclose thesides thereof, f. means supporting said side frame members from adjacentpanels, g. a bottom frame member extending from side to side of eachmold cavity to provide a bottom therein at a predetermined height, h.track means extending longitudinally of said machine under said panels,i. carriage means supporting each of said bottom frame members, saidcarriage means being supported for bidirectional movement on said trackmeans, j. each said carriage means comprising a first element havingroller means supporting the element on said track means, k. a secondelement supporting said bottom frame members and supported on the firstelement and means for adjusting the height of the second element withrespect to the first element, whereby to set the heights of said bottomframe members between said panels to establish the heights of the moldcavities.
 7. A concrete molding machine comprising: a. a stationaryvertically disposed end panel, b. a movable vertically disposed endpanel spaced from the stationary panel and in substantial parallelismtherewith, c. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panels, d.means supporting each of said intermediate panels and said movable endpanel for horizontal bidirectional translation whereby to permit saidlast named panels to be separated from each other and to be juxtaposedin spaced relationship to define mold cavities between them, e. sideframe members disposed vertically between adjacent panels at oppositesides thereof to define the width and thickness of the mold cavity andto enclose the sides thereof, f. means supporting said side framemembers from adjacent panels, g. a bottom frame member extending fromside to side of each mold cavity to provide a bottom therein at apredetermined height, h. track means extending longitudinally of saidmachine under said panels, i. carriage means supporting each of saidbottom frame members, said carriage means being supported forbidirectional movement on said track means, j. each said carriage meanscomprising a first element having a pin receiving hole, k. roller meanssupporting said first element for bidirectional movements on said trackmeans, l. a second element supported for guided vertical movement onsaid first element and having a row of holes selected ones of which maybe aligned with the hole in said first element to receive a pin formaintaining said second element and the bottom frame member supportedthereon at a predetermined height in the respective mold cavities.
 8. Aconcrete slab molding machine comprising: a. laterally spaced apartparallel longitudinally extending horizontal tracks, b. a stationary endpanel that is vertically disposed and extends laterally substantiallybetween said tracks, c. a movable end panel that is vertically disposedand extends laterally substantially between said tracks, d. a group ofmovable mold panels intermediate said stationary end panel and saidmovable end paneL and in substantial parallelism therewith, e. each ofsaid intermediate panels and said movable end panels having wheel meanson opposite sides running on and supporting said panels on the tracks,f. said movable panels being movable on said tracks to a predeterminedspaced relationship with each other and with said stationary end panelto define a plurality of open topped mold cavities between them intowhich slurry may be introduced, g. side frame members extendingvertically in the respective cavities between juxtaposed panels, saidside frame members being spaced apart laterally to define the widths ofthe cavities, h. means supporting said side frame members from panelsadjacent the respective cavities, i. bottom frame members extendinglaterally of the respective mold cavities to provide bottoms thereof, j.track means extending longitudinally below said panels, k. carriagemeans having roller means running on said last named track means, saidcarriage means supporting said bottom frame members and the concretemolded thereon, l. upper and lower locking means for pressing saidmovable end panel to put said intermediate panels and intervening framemembers in compression against said stationary end panel, m. said upperlocking means and lower locking means including means releaseablyengageable with the respective upper and lower regions of the movableend panel, whereby said end panel may be released and disengaged fortransport on said first mentioned tracks and thereby permit said moldpanels to be similarly transported for demolding the molded articlesindividually, n. the said means supporting said side frame memberscomprising relatively adjustable elements pivotally mounted on saidpanels, o. a second element pivotally mounted on each of said adjustableelements, said second element having a threaded hole therein, p.adjusting screws in said threaded holes, respectively, which screws canbe directed at said side frames, q. means supporting said side frames onsaid adjusting screws, whereupon said adjusting screws may be advancedor retracted to position said side frame members inwardly or outwardlyof said mold cavities to thereby permit selection of the mold cavitywidth.
 9. The molding machine defined in claim 8 including: a. motormeans, b. shaft means driven by said motor means and having a drivesprocket fixed thereon, c. a shaft and an idler sprocket thereon, saididler sprocket being located longitudinally remote from said drivesprocket, d. a closed loop chain belt running on said sprockets andextending longitudinally of the machine adjacent said panels, e. meansmounted on said movable panels for selectively engaging and disengaginga panel with said chain belt, whereby said panels may be transportedindividually by said chain means along said first named tracks.
 10. Amolding machine as defined in claim 8 wherein: a. there is anothersimilar group comprised of a second stationary end panel, a secondmovable end panel and a second group of intermediate panels with sideand bottom frame members intervening between panels to define a secondgroup of mold cavities, and there are similar means for transporting themovable panels and for compressing the panels, b. said second movablepanel facing the first movable panel and defining a demolding regiontherebetween.
 11. The machine defined in claim 8 wherein: a. the saidcarriage means supporting said bottom frame members comprise a firstelement supported on said roller means, b. a second element supported onsaid first element the height of said second element being adjustablewith respect to said first element, the bottom frame members beingsupported on said second elements to thereby permit their verticalheight adjustment to establish a predetermined depth in the moldcavities.
 12. A concrete molding machine comprising: a. a group ofgenerally planar vertically disposed Mold panels adapted to bejuxtaposed to define mold cavities between them, b. means for supportingsaid panels for being translated in a longitudinal direction withrespect to each other, c. at least a pair of laterally spaced apartgenerally vertically extending side frame members for being interposedbetween said panels to establish the width and thicknesses of said moldcavities, respectively, d. frame members extending generally laterallybetween said panels to provide bottoms for said mold cavities,respectively. e. means selectively operable for compressing said panelsand said frame members toward each other for said frame members andpanels to establish said mold cavities and for alternately releasingsaid panels from compression, f. power driven translating meansextending generally longitudinally adjacent said panels, saidtranslating means comprising closed loop belt means having at leastprojecting means projecting therefrom, g. means mounted on said panelsincluding means that are selectively advanceable and retractable intoand out of the path of said projecting means whereby said panels may beselectively moved individually relative to each other under theinfluence of said belt means.
 13. A concrete molding machine comprising:a. a group of vertically disposed movable mold panels having faces andlaterally spaced apart sides, b. means supporting each of said panelsfor longitudinal bidirectional translation whereby to permit said panelsto be separated from each other and to be juxtaposed in predeterminedspaced relationship to define mold cavities between them, c. hinge meansincluding bracket means mounted at said laterally spaced apart sides ofsaid panels, d. extensible means pivotally mounted on said bracketmeans, e. a threaded element pivotally mounted on said extensible means,the pivot axes of both of said elements being substantially parallel, f.an adjusting screw extending through said threaded element in a planethat is transverse to the axes of said elements, g. mold side membersfor being interposed between juxtaposed panels to establish saidpredetermined spaced relationship, said members being supported on saidadjusting screws whereby adjustment of said screws enables positioningsaid members at a selected distance within said mold cavities and saidmembers being swingable on said hinge means, and h. means forselectively applying a compressive force simultaneously to said group ofpanels and interposed side members.
 14. The invention set forth in claim13 including: a. vertically extending support means to which said sidemembers are fastened, respectively, and b. vertically spaced apartsockets on said vertically extending support means, said socketsrespectively receiving an end portion of said adjusting screw means. 15.The invention set forth in claim 13 wherein: a. said extensible meanscomprises a first element which is pivotal on said bracket means, b. asecond element mounted for movement with respect to said first element,said second element supporting said threaded element for said adjustingscrew, c. means for adjusting the position of said second elementrelative to said first element whereby said second element may beselectively extended and contracted to establish the axes of theaforesaid adjusting screw means at a selected position relative to themold cavity defined between said panels.
 16. A concrete molding machinecomprising: a. a group of vertically disposed mold panels having facesand sides, b. means for supporting each of said panels for longitudinalbidirectional translation whereby to permit said panels to be separatedfrom each other and to be juxtaposed with their faces in predeterminedspaced relationship to define mold cavities between them, c. mold cavityside members supported between said panels for defining the lateraldimension and thicknesses of said mold cavities and tO enclose the sidesthereof, d. means for supporting said side members between said panels,e. a bottom member extending laterally of each mold cavity to provide abottom therefor at a predetermined height, f. longitudinally extendingtrack means in proximity with said bottom members, g. carriage meanssupporting said bottom members independently of each other, saidcarriage means being supported on said track means and being movablethereon, said carriage means including means for adjusting the elevationof said bottom members in respect to said carriage means to permitpositioning of said bottom members at a selected elevation in saidcavities and thereby establish the desired depth of said mold cavities,and h. means for selectively compressing said panels, side members andbottom members toward each other simultaneously.
 17. The invention setforth in claim 16 wherein: a. said means for supporting said sidemembers each comprise a longitudinally adjustable element pivotallymounted on said panels, b. a second element pivotally mounted on each ofsaid longitudinally adjustable elements, said second element having athreaded hole therein, c. an adjusting screw in each said threaded holewhich screws can be directed at said side members, and d. meanssupporting said side members on said adjusting screws, whereby saidadjusting screws may be advanced and retracted selectively to positionsaid side members inwardly and outwardly of said mold cavities andthereby enable establishing the lateral width of said cavities.
 18. Theinvention set forth in claim 16 wherein: a. each said carriage meanscomprises a first element having roller means supporting said element onsaid track means, b. a second element supporting said bottom member andmeans for supporting said second element in selected adjusted positionsin respect to said first element whereby to set the heights of saidbottom members between said panels and thereby establish the depths ofsaid mold cavities.
 19. A concrete molding machine comprising: a.longitudinally extending track means, b. a group of independentvertically disposed mold panels supported for translation on said trackmeans, said panels each having longitudinally spaced apart faces andlaterally spaced aprat sides, c. translating means translatablelongitudinally adjacent said panels, d. engageable means on saidtranslating means, e. translating means engaging means mounted on eachof said panels, said engaging means including means selectively operableto engage said engageable means for enabling said translating means tomove said panels and operable to disengage said engageable means. 20.The invention set forth in claim 19 wherein: a. said engaging meanscomprises pin means mounted for sliding in opposite directions on saidpanels, b. said engageable means comprising means projecting from saidtranslating means.
 21. A concrete molding machine comprising: a. a groupof vertically disposed panels movable into predetermined juxtapositionwith each other, b. means for supporting said panels for bidirectionallongitudinal movement whereby to selectively define mold cavitiesbetween said panels and to separate said panels from each other, c.closed loop flexible translating means movable longitudinally adjacentsaid group of panels, d. motor means operatively coupled with saidtranslating means for driving said translating means selectivelyreversibly, e. engageable means attached to and projecting from saidflexible translating means, f. at least one engaging means mounted onand movable on each of said panels, said engaging means beingselectively movable between a position of disengagement relative to saidengageable means and a position wherein it extends in the path of saidengageable means to thereby enable selective movement of said panelstoward and away from each other, g. means for spacing said panels Fromeach other to define mold cavities between them, and h. selectivelyoperable means for compressing said panels and spacing meanssimultaneously for molding.